In 1972 Leonard Cohen was considered to be one of the major singer song writers and poets of our time. It was decided by Cohen's then manager, Marty Machat, to make a film about Leonard at work, on tour and 'Off Duty'. The film was entitled Bird on a Wire and featured some fantastic performance footage. It was directed by the celebrated British film director Tony Palmer and scheduled for release in late 1972. After screening a rough copy, the BBC immediately bought the UK TV rights. But after 9 months of re-editing at Cohen's request, a second version was released in the 1974.
It was thought that the original film had been lost until more than 290 rolls of film in rusted cans were discovered in late 2009. The cans contained much of the original 'rushes' of the film, and especially most if not all of the original soundtracks. So, in 2010 with Leonard Cohen once again at the forefront of popular music, Tony Palmer has lovingly restored the film to much of its original glory.
| Directed by | Tony Palmer |
| Written by | Tony Palmer |